BYU football: Cougars expect to be fully healthy for Wisconsin game

Comments

Who agrees that we should encourage Chris to wear his Cougar hats and t-shirts
and come out of the closet already? Anyone who perseverates on another team this
much has to be a fan posing as someone else to rile the troops. Good work
Chrissy keep it up!

As for Jamal Williams, he's a young kid who
obviously didn't know much about BYU or Utah, but when he became familiar
he didn't like U. Jealous Chrissy? Ahhh so sad.

Still hurting
that BYU is getting all the press with their 6-2 record against the 21st ranked
schedule in the country? Until this year Utah didn't even approach that SOS
and was still sub .500. That must really hurt...sorry to cause you so much pain
that you can't move "onward or upward". Big brother always gets the
attention...fans want you to be like him but U just don't have the
talent...no one understands what it's like to be the kid brother living
under that shadow. We've seen it all before...so tragic.

nhatch82Eagle Mountain, UT

Oct. 31, 2013 1:05 p.m.

@Where is Hadley

"Under bronco, byu excels at being an average
game but not getting up for their big games. Broncos' record against top 25
opponents is .200. And in case some of you didn't know, that is not good.
Hardly the record of a program that is headed towards a national title, as
bronco talks about."

First of all Your sentence doesn't make
sense. Second What direction are your utes going? 2 straight losing seasons and
watching bowl games from the couch. ouch. I wouldn't make too many
comments about the direction of a program. Utes fans such as yourself are more
worried about tattling on opponents players than wanting to win games because
there is not hope for the uties right now.

Tough to win games when
your quarterbacks Td/Int Ratio over the last 6 games is 10 to 15!

Where is Hadley?Salt Lake, UT

Oct. 31, 2013 10:04 a.m.

This should be an entertaining game, watching Wisconsin expose byu as the
average team that they are. Under bronco, byu excels at being an average game
but not getting up for their big games. Broncos' record against top 25
opponents is .200. And in case some of you didn't know, that is not good.
Hardly the record of a program that is headed towards a national title, as
bronco talks about.

Chris BSalt Lake City, UT

Oct. 30, 2013 1:26 p.m.

Yes, winning is all that matters.

And year after year after year
after year when Utah and byu plays, all Utah does is win, and all byU does is
lose.

Sometimes its the weather's fault, sometimes the refs,
sometimes its wanting to give the ball away. But whatever the reason, all byu
does is lose.

In fact, Utah has two 4-0 streaks over byu in the last
15 years.

Guess how many 4-0 streaks byU has over Utah in the last
couple decades?

Zero!

BeSmartCheyenne, WY

Oct. 30, 2013 12:42 p.m.

@ worf.The only relevant matter is they are winning.I agree with
that.

worfMcallen, TX

Oct. 30, 2013 12:13 p.m.

The only relevant matter, is BYU playing on national television, and winning.

When I wear a BYU tee-shirt,---people come up and talk.

It's amazing how people congratulate me for beating the Longhorns, and
having an honor code.

I tell them I'm not a player, but a fan.

BeSmartCheyenne, WY

Oct. 30, 2013 10:43 a.m.

@ Chris B.No one knows why Nacua decommitted or if he did.There are
plenty of rumors but BYU pulled his offer, whether it was Nacua or BYU no one
knows for sure so I wouldn't brag about it.It looks like his current
top choice is ASU by the way.

Chris BSalt Lake City, UT

Oct. 30, 2013 9:41 a.m.

Chamberlain,

Your 1 ESPN top 300 DEcommitted a long time ago.
Isaiaah Nacua DEcommitted a while back and is now looking at guess who?

UTAH(ouch, that hurts huh?)

Did you know of the last 12
combined recruiting classes between byu, usu, and Utah that Utah has the top
4?

1. Utah2. Utah3. Utah4. Utah.

Yep,
both average stars AND head to head, the "best" recruiting year for byu
of the last 4 years is WORSE than Utah's worst year of the last 4 years.

I guess Pac 12 memeberhsip is more appealing than going to indy/WAC
byu

4 years in a row on the field

4 years in a row
recruiting

Think those are related?

Yep!

Tom in CAVallejo, CA

Oct. 29, 2013 4:47 p.m.

" ....... No conference wants you or cares about your history and your own
star running back Jamaal Williams said he thought byu was a division II program
when he was being recruited..."

Chrissy - is that why Williams
chose BYU over bsu and utah? Oh, and as far as "history" goes, well,
everyone but you knows BYU is by far the more respected football program. Did
you know BYU has a National Championship under their belt? And a Heismann QB,
and etc., etc., etc.

WiscougarfanRiver Falls, WI

Oct. 29, 2013 3:59 p.m.

"Wisconsin is the only true national power playing in this game. Their
recruits don't think they are a division II program. Never have."

Interesting that historically Wisconsin and BYU have nearly identical
recruiting classes (ranked in the 50-70 range), yet they both remain nationally
relevant programs.

Also interesting that the recruit being referenced
in the above quote picked BYU over Utah, even though he had never heard of BYU
previously. What does that say about Utah?

ChamberlainSalt Lake City, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 2:29 p.m.

"Kids pick lesser programs over better programs all the time."

See Utah.

A second straight bowl-less season could be a disaster
for Utah's recruiting, which is already looking pretty dismal.

Gary Anderson is probably taking this game more personally. I think he's
probably got some angst against BYU for the last few years of BYU finding a way
to beat his team. This game can be won, but will need to be free of stupid
penalties and mistakes.

Gee Chris B, I was hoping that beat down USC
gave to the utes was going to keep you in obscurity a bit longer. I'm
surprised to see you up and sniping at BYU so soon. Your claim that BYU as a
program is not respected nationally is complete garbage, and deep down you know
it. You really are grasping at straws. Your utes deserve that appraisal more
that BYU does.

So, whilst the entire ute nation is sitting home for
the holidays one more year I guess you have already explained it to your ego
that it is more about being a bottom dweller in a BCS conference than it is to
be playing in a bowl game.

I want to say LOL to that, but I hate the
acronym "LOL" so I won't say LOL to you.

scottAlpine, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 1:44 p.m.

Chris B

"No conference wants you..."

The giant
hole in your distorted view of reality is the quality of BYU's overall
athletic program has nothing to do with BYU's lack of an invite to the Big
12 or PAC 12, and conversely, the mediocre quality of Utah's overall
athletic program had absolutely nothing to do with Utah's invitation to the
PAC 12 - the bottom-dwelling status of nearly every Utah team, especially
Utah's men's teams, is proof that Utah was invited to serve as cannon
fodder for the big boys of the PAC 12 to pad their conference records, nothing
more.

nhatch82Eagle Mountain, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 1:31 p.m.

@ Chris

We heard your question? Really we did. You asked it on
previous posts you have asked it 3 or 4 times on this post alone. give it a
rest. the fact of the matter is we have a top 20 running back that chose the Y
of u. you cant hang your hat on this questions when he shunned the uties for
the cougs. Here is a real question, find me a recruit that chose a division II
school over a PAC 12 BCS Confrence "member"? He must have thought the
utes were a high school team. Cause they certainly are playing like one.

BeSmartCheyenne, WY

Oct. 29, 2013 1:03 p.m.

@Chris BUtah has a lot less publicity. (I would say for every 4 BYU
articles the Utes get one)So your point is moot. Lesser program? 2
outright conference championships in 50 years?lolI guess Nick Kurtz
spurned oregon for the same team and Fred Warner over USCHave a good day
everybody

PDX_CougarFanMilwaukie, OR

Oct. 29, 2013 12:33 p.m.

Christopher, given that respect is hard to measure, maybe we can agree on some
more objective items. Off the top of my head, I've got a couple ideas to
measure as follows:Respect for football acumen--Do opponents regard
BYU football games as gimmes, tossups, or losses before they occur?Do
opposing fans regard BYU football games as gimmes, tossups, or losses before
they occur?

Respect for BYU as a brand--How do opponents
perceive the benefits of playing BYU? Will it bring more attention to their
program if they beat BYU? Will they experience an increase in attendance if
they schedule BYU?

I'd be happy to listen to any other ideas you
might have or to discuss the items that I brought up. I'd also appreciate
it if anybody else cared to do a little research on my behalf!!! :)

Mark321Las Vegas, NV

Oct. 29, 2013 12:28 p.m.

@ Chris B

"You guys claim byu is a nationally respected great
program and Utah isn't."

Oh Chris Chris Chris. I feel so
sorry for you. You still don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I
think you think BYU is more nationally respected than we do. I'm flattered.
But since we are on the subject of nationally respected program, there are 3
things that makes a program nationally respected: historical tradition, current
success, and exposure. Historical success for Utah? None, they haven't won
a national championship, and before their BCS victories haven't really made
any consistent noise in the college landscape. Current success? You may have an
argument here because of the 2 BCS bowl victories but it's like the old
saying, "what have you done for me lately?" Exposure? Yeah, I saw the
Utah-USC game, oh wait, I didn't it was on PAC 12 network. BYU? Historical
tradition, national championship in 1984 and the 5th winningest program in past
40 years. Current success? 6 wins in 7 bowl games, consistent top 25 rankings.
Exposure? 9th most televised team in college football, ESPN deal, nuff said.

PDX_CougarFanMilwaukie, OR

Oct. 29, 2013 12:22 p.m.

Christopher, I agree-it is a funny story--but it doesn't mean BYU
isn't a nationally respected program. It also has no bearing on whether
Utah is a nationally respected program. It is an anecdote that is entertaining,
but ultimately the question of whether BYU is nationally respected is pretty
subjective. If you read message boards (I gather that you do), you will see a
bunch of comments that put down Ohio State University, the SEC, the BIG 12, the
PAC12, etc. I think the question relates to the DEGREE of respect that is
afforded to a school. I can tell you that when the Oregon Ducks played BYU in
the Las Vegas bowl (2006?), BYU got very little respect from Oregon coach Mike
Belotti. I thought that it would change if BYU beat them by thirty. I was
wrong, when BYU beat them 38-8, the Oregonian reported that the Duck players
were simply not interested in the game. On the other hand, I have several Duck
and Beaver fan friends that compliment BYU frequently. My experience is that
people are either generally respectful to everyone or respectful to no one.

Johnny TriumphAmerican Fork, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 12:19 p.m.

Glad the game will be on ABC regionally, as a cable-less home it's been
tough either listening to the game (Wrubel still does a good job, just not the
same as watching) or watching it on espn3.

Hope the Cougs bring
their A-game, I hear Wisconsin at home is a tough game no matter how good/bad
Wisconsin is. Should be fun, let's close out the season on good notes!

Christopher BOgden, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 11:40 a.m.

Talkinsports,

Kids pick lesser programs over better programs all the
time. If they didn't, teams like Alabama, USC, Florida would always get
every single top recruit.

It doesn't change the fact that byu
fans think they are a national power and yet can't provide me a single
example of a recruit of another national power thinking they are a division II
program.

You guys claim byu is a nationally respected great program
and Utah isn't.

Can you provide me any evidence of a recruit
thinking Utah was division II?

Or evidence that any other national
power had a recuit that thought they were a Division II program?

Anything?

Just give me ONE example.

LOL!

You
cant!

PDX_CougarFanMilwaukie, OR

Oct. 29, 2013 11:16 a.m.

Hey guys, let's give Chris a break and maybe he'll return the favor.
Also, he keeps making the same points over and over and people bring up the same
items to refute them. I think some of Chris's points are legitimate while
others are more inflammatory than legitimate. I'm comfortable conceding
that being in a BCS conference generally gives Utah a leg up in recruiting and
that having more stars is generally indicative of higher talent in a recruit.
I'm also willing to concede that Utah fielded the better team on the field
against BYU each of the last four years. While some of the games were close,
Utah deserved to win those games. Hats off to Utah for the victories. On the
other hand, it does appear that BYU is improving as the season progresses and
Utah has stepped back since beating Stanford. If the two teams were to meet in
San Francisco, it could still go either way! However, I am crossing my fingers
that they do meet as I would love for KVN to have one last shot at Utah--even
though a loss would sting a lot!

talkinsportsGilbert, AZ

Oct. 29, 2013 10:35 a.m.

christy

Jamall Williams had offers from BYU, Boise State, San Diego
State, Utah and others, yet he chose BYU over Utah; what does that say about U,
that he would pick what he reportedly thought was a "Division II"
program, over the PAC 12 Utes?

Sure doesn't say much for
Utah's "national reputation" does it?

BeSmartCheyenne, WY

Oct. 29, 2013 10:20 a.m.

He was recruited by Oregon as a safety (recruited means received visits and
letters etc.) I made a mistake about the offer.But he still chose the Y
over the U.

utesgoingdownthehillSalt Lake City , UT

Oct. 29, 2013 10:05 a.m.

When a a good player chooses rival over your team I wouldn't laugh too
hard. Regardless of what opinion he had of BYU he had worse opinion of team he
didn't chose.

So you are laughing at yourself Chris.

Christopher BOgden, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 9:42 a.m.

BeSmart,

Previously you said Jamall Williams was offered by Oregon.
Why not include that offer here?

Or were you making that part up?

LOL

still waiting on evidence of another powerhouse national
program that had recruits that thought they were a Division II program?

Anything?

Wisconsin is the only true national power playing in this
game.

Their recruits don't think they are a division II program.
Never have.

SoUtBoy25Cedar City, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 9:34 a.m.

If BYU dropped their "no Sunday play" rule they would be a member of one
of the major football conferences.

Since they refuse to sell their
"soul" for conference affiliation and $$$, they are comfortably
independent.

BYU's tv contract and media center give them the
ability to promote their program at a grass roots level. Instead of being a
little sister just happy to have a patch on their jersey's, Cougar
athletics has surprisingly thrived under the current format.

Who
would have thought a QB with NFL potential would change from a nationally
respected University and athletic program to second tier program?

After three years the proof is in the pudding. BYU still is able to field a
competitive team. With Taysom and Hoffman they are making top 10 plays on
nationally viewed sports stations.

Kick and scream all you want,
but against all ods Cougar athletics is actually defying the critics and
thriving in football independence.

utesgoingdownthehillSalt Lake City , UT

Oct. 29, 2013 9:26 a.m.

@ Chris B

I thought Utah was national power and were going for BCS
bowl since they are in BCS conference.

BeSmartCheyenne, WY

Oct. 29, 2013 9:13 a.m.

Jamaal Williams chose BYU over the U.Everyone can watch BYU Wisconsin it is on
ABC

Chris BSalt Lake City, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 8:28 a.m.

Wisconsin is a true national power and very well respected team.

byu
is not.

My evidence?

No conference wants you or cares
about your history and your own star running back Jamaal Williams said he
thought byu was a division II program when he was being recruited.

LOL!

Division II!

goforitProvo, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 8:07 a.m.

I see BYU finishing 2 and 2 the rest of the way. They aren't as good as
fans are starting to think they are. I have never seen a group of people go up
and down so fast in my life. Most Cougar fans must be bipolar.

evansrichdmwest jordan , UT

Oct. 29, 2013 7:46 a.m.

Cougar Claws

Got to agree with you on this game, but if BYU where to
pull off a win that will be huge for BYU and then to do it at ND. That would
really make some noise for BYU on the national level, but when you look at
things on paper it will be the hardest game of the season.

Cougar ClawsLindon, UT

Oct. 29, 2013 7:30 a.m.

As great as BYU has done the past several games, and despite how much they have
improved, it's tough to favor BYU in this game. Wisconsin is legit good.
They have a top 10 defense and they run the ball for almost 300 yards a game.
They have an NFL Caliber Offensive line, and they execute well in play action
pass. They played the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes tough on the road, and probably the
biggest X-factor of all, their head coach is now Gary Anderson who has yet to
beat BYU. I'm pulling for BYU in this game, but it wouldn't shock me
to see BYU loose by a touchdown, even if they play well.

WiscougarfanRiver Falls, WI

Oct. 29, 2013 5:26 a.m.

I agree that the timing of this bye week is ideal. However, I also felt the
same way about the bye week before the Utah game... it gave time to heal and a
few extra days of preparation. that one didn't work out so well, let's
hope for a different outcome this time around. Go Cougs!

RationalSalt Lake City, UT

Oct. 28, 2013 11:33 p.m.

Reilly is a quality LB, and should play at the next level. We all know how good
KVN is.